In reflecting through the second class I really felt that the textbook reading that I did was able to be put into practical use. So often in the past, the texts that I have read for classes are simply just a way for teachers and professors to cover a large amount of material without having to use class time to go into depth about it. Using the hands on learning that we did last night allowed me to see several different ways that I could include these styles into my future class.
The biggest thing that I was able to see last night was the importance of practicing different strategies before attempting to use them in the classroom. With large amounts of information there are going to be different methods of instruction that work better than others and often times the only way to know that is to have practiced it before you teach it.
As I think about how this would look in my classroom it continues to stress the importance of being prepare at least a day in advance with my lesson plans and the materials needed for that lesson. If I am attempting to teach something that I have not fully prepared for it will become very evident in the way that I am doing my instruction and the confidence level that I have with the material being presented. I really enjoyed last night and all of the different hands on activities that are very practical in a classroom!
Hi Caroline, I am glad you find the textbook useful. I wonder if there was one particular strategy that you experienced that left you with a specific feeling, thought, or connection. I think your overall take-away was the idea of being prepared with strategies to teach what appears to be an abundance of information! Hopefully, the class text will be a tool for your future teacher strategy kit that you can refer back to when writing your plans. Thank you for your reflection. Lynne